


It'll Be Alright

by PilotInTheStars



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: And a tiny bit of - Freeform, Angst, Fluff, Gen, Mother-Son Relationship, Snapshots, a hot mess!, but there's some, this is a hot mess!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:09:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27379993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilotInTheStars/pseuds/PilotInTheStars
Summary: Two snapshots of Hera and Jacen when he's younger.
Relationships: Hera Syndulla & Jacen Syndulla
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	It'll Be Alright

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mess. This is a hot mess. But writing this brought me some comfort and in these trying times and I hope it brings you some too.

The Rebellion knew that General Syndulla had a tiny shadow. 

When he was at his smallest, he’d sit in the cradle of the sling she had fashioned, his head pressed close to her heart as he slept peacefully. At briefings, at trainings, even just supervising on base, there her shadow went.

“You’d think that you were training him to be a general,” a commander had joked. 

Hera had placed a hand on Jacen’s back and bit back the response that that was the last thing she wanted for him. All she fought for was a galaxy that was free for him to choose what he wanted to be. There were enough children who were forced to be soldiers, herself included.

When Jacen was a baby, he remained her shadow. He was awake much more now, always looking out and around. Some of the pilots had made it a game of trying to get the baby to laugh, and he always had the biggest laugh any of them had ever heard. It always got the General to smile too. 

He was the happiest baby Hera thought she had ever met, and for that she was glad. She had been gone an extra two days this time around on a mission, and he hadn’t changed a bit, despite all of her internal worries. 

Kallus and Zeb were engaged in a game of dejarik in the common room, and Hera went to watch, and thank them for watching Jacen. The baby’s hair was still damp from his bath, he was in fresh pajamas, and he was happily sucking on a pacifier. And he was especially happy to be back in his mother’s arms. 

_ Oh I missed you,  _ she thought, as she sat down in her chair in the common room, while Kallus and Zeb still sat at the game, focused intensely on the small figures. 

Hera ran her fingers through Jacen’s hair, his cheek pressed against her upper arm, kissing the top of his head again. 

_ It’ll be alright. It’ll all be alright.  _

* * *

Eventually Jacen was too big for her sling, and too big to sit in her arms always. And besides, he was a growing boy, and he was Hera’s boy. He always wanted to explore.

They would always walk around base together in the evenings. He toddler around and Hera couldn’t help but smile at him. 

Sometimes they’d sit- it was warm enough in the evenings on this planet. 

Dozens of wildflowers grew there, they were a miracle to behold. Jacen adored them. And it was a miracle Hera had been able to prevent him from putting the petals in his mouth. She always had to gently pry his fingers from them.

“I don’t think they would taste good, baby,” she said every time. 

There was something in the calm of the evening, it was peaceful. She could forget the war for a while, while trying to make sure Jacen didn’t walk off too far, and it was just the two of them. 

Sometimes it was when she felt closest to him, to Kanan.  _ Force, did she miss him. Did she want him back.  _

But there was light. And there was joy. He was there. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Stay safe out there. <3


End file.
